Fruit-gatherer.



C. G. HANNAH.

FRUIT GATHERER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 14,1908.

937,791 j Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

' CIGEBOG. HANNAH, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA. V

FRUIT-GAT'HERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 14, 1908. Serial No. 443,519.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Clarke G. HANNAH,

a citizen of the United States, residing at' Atlanta, in the county ofFulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefulimprovements in Fruit-tlatherers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention comprises improvements in devices for picking fruit suchas oranges,

13 len'ions and apples from the parts of trees which are not readilyaccessible and transporting the fruit safely into a suitable receptacle.The device may also be used for pruning snnlller branches of treesalthough 3 it is particularly designed as a fruit picker.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which,

Figure 1 1s a side view of an implement c embodying my invention; Fig. 2is a perspective view of the upper part of the same; Fig. 3 is asectional view showing the knives closed, the knives in Figs. 1 and 2being shown open.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a pole which-may be of any desiredlength. For certain purposes a long pole will be used while for otherpurposes a pole of medium or short length only may be necessary.

Ri 'idl connected with the u or end of a Y PP the P0 is a bowed knife 2inthe form of a loop, the ends of which are preferably fas tened toopposite sides of the pole by means of bolts or screws 3. A second bowedknife 4 having a cutting edge of similar outline is pivotally mountedouthe pole, being free to swing upon a bolt-or pivot pin 5. The

ends of the knife 4 extend beyond the pivot.

5 in the form of arms 6 and the outer ends of these arms are pivotallyconnected by the pin 15 with an operating rod 7 which extends down thepole for a suitable distance and is provided with a handle 8. The rodpasses through guides 0 connected with the ole andthe handle 8 ispreferably formed y bendin the red at right angles. This rod issufllciently rigid to throw the inov- 4 able knife back by an upwardmovement of the handle and I am therefore enabled to dispense withsprings or other 'devices for of the lever arm, which is the line drawnto the rod 7.

from the pivot pin 5 perpendicular to the rod 7, is the greatest sincethe line connecting the pins 5 and 15 is then at right angles This is anadvantageous arrangement whereby the greatest leverage is obtained atthetime when the knives are performing the cutting operation; A plate 10 isrigidly connected to the pole and ex tends beyond the same, its upperpart being opposite the opening of the fixed knife 2. As shown in Figs."1 and 2, this plate is straight but in Fig. 3 1 have shown a concaveplate it) which is preferable when picking large fruit.

Connected with the movable knife d is a flexible tube ll the upper endof which is socured in any suitable manner to the knife. This tubeextends down the pole and is preferably connected thereto at intervalsin any suitable manner, although it may be free from the pole ifdesired. The upper end of the tube is enlarged as at 12 to permit theknife to close without materially contractingt f the area of the tube.The tube may be made of canvas or any other suitable material. As shownit is connected to the movable knife 4 by means of a clamping strip -13and screws 14. e

ln operating the knives are opened, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, andplaced-inposition to cut the stem of the fruit or the branch carryingthe fruit, as shown in Fig. 1. The knives are then brought together intothe position shown in Fig. 8, 'whicgi cuts the twig or thestem and theplate or pusher- 10 pushes the fruit into the tube 11. The plate orpusher 10 may be of various forms to suit dill'erent kinds of fruit. Forlarge fruit it should be concave more or less, as shown in Figl 3, whilefor a smaller fruit it may be straight and of larger area to prevent thefruit from passing out through the opening between the fixed knife 2 andthe plate.

It will be evident that minor changes in construction may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Forinstance the cutting-portions of. the

knives may be circular, as shown, or oval or even rectangular but formost purposes the I circular knives shown are preferred. In all casesof. course, the cutting edges of the knives should be ()1 the sameoutline so that Patented Get. 26, 1999.

' wardly thereof, a movable lwpshziped knife of suitable outlineipivotally conneeted with eaid movable knife,

2. In a fruit picker the combination with; v

Patent is,

m Jeane construction am! it has been demonsicmteep Y be of greatpractical value for the purpose specified.

Having described the invention whet I claim and desire to be secured byLetters- 1. In a fruit picker, the combination with a pole, of a fixedknife comprising a bend bent to form eieop and rigidly connected to thepole, a fixed pusher plate connected to the pole and extending toeosition o posite the opening in the fixed Knife mag rearthe pole, saidknives having wiipereting cut.- ting edges, and e flexible tube havingits upper end. connected t0 and movable with a. pale, of a fixed knifecempi isiug e bend,

. the pele and extending to e neeition e bent to form e loop end'rigidiyconnected 0 the pale, e fixed pusher plate connecbed with peeite theopening said fixed knife en rearwerciiy thereef, emoveble 1e0p-shepedMife having its branches piveteiiy cmmectefl with the ele on e poeitesides thereef and extending latex-e 1y to form arms, seici knives Hhaving eeiipemfizi cutting edgeg-im 0 mting rod extending along saidpole an eonneeted with said arms at; one end and pro- I vided with ahandle at the opposite end, and

a flexible tube having its upper end secured t0 ihe movable knife.

In testimony whereof I eifix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

, CKCERU G. HANNAH.

Witnesses:

\ Anew L. BRYANT,

JOHN, M. Corr.

